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Seven associations in running for two further UEFA Cup places

UEFA has today announced the final results of the UEFA Fair Play competition for the 2007/08 season, which began on 1 May 2007 and finished on 30 April 2008. The winning association is granted a place in the next season’s UEFA Cup, while all associations with a coefficient equal or higher than 8.0 will go into a draw for a further two places in the first qualifying round of the competition. Only associations having played a minimum of 34 matches have been taken into account. This cut-off is defined as the total number of UEFA matches divided by the number of national associations.

The Fair Play competition is based on the Fair Play assessments made by official UEFA delegates at all UEFA competition matches (club and national teams). The coefficient is based on criteria such as positive play, respect of the opponent, respect of the referee, behaviour of the crowd and of the team officials, as well as cautions and dismissals.

The English Football Association has earned the right to enter one club in the first qualifying round of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup, after they finished in the first place in the UEFA Fair Play competition for the 2007/08 campaign. There were a further seven associations who achieved an average of 8.0 points or more in this season’s Fair Play ranking. They are: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Spain and France.

These seven associations will now go into a draw which will be conducted on 13 May 2008 in between the two UEFA Cup finalists’ press conferences at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, at approximately 14:30 local time.

The three associations, which are allocated an additional UEFA Cup place, will be entitled to enter the club, which has won the domestic top division Fair Play competition. If this club has already qualified for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup, the domestic Fair Play competition will continue to apply, and the second-placed team may be entered. If the second-placed team has qualified for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup, the third-placed team in the domestic Fair Play competition may be considered, and so forth.

Even a team, which has been relegated to the second highest domestic division, could qualify for the UEFA Cup as a result of its exemplary Fair Play conduct during the domestic championship. In any case, only clubs which have received the UEFA Licence will be able to participate into UEFA Cup.

Technically Advanced Football Possible Thanks to Desso’s Artificial Grass Fibres

The UEFA Cup Final between FC Zenit St. Petersburg and Rangers FC will be played on an ingenious pitch at the City of Manchester Stadium, the home base of Manchester City FC.

More than 20 million artificial grass fibres will protect the natural grass ensuring that Manchester City’s pitch is in perfect shape.

Lee Jackson, Deputy Head Groundsman states: “The pitch suffered with the bad weather during the busy winter period but thanks largely to the Desso Grassmaster has recovered quickly. As a Groundsman, it is an honour for the pitch to be used as the venue for the UEFA cup final and it is a chance to prepare a surface that will do justice to such a prestigious event.”

The stadium too has been designed according to a unique concept. It was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and was then converted into a football stadium.

Every seat in the stadium is covered by the roof, which is supported by an innovative pre-stressed cable net. However, the design had implications on the pitch. The rounding out of the seating bowl and the completion of the roof created an environment which made it difficult for the grass to grow. For this reason, the club opted to install the Desso GrassMaster system.

Thanks to this system and the efforts of the dedicated groundstaff, led by Head Groundsman Roy Rigby, the UEFA Cup finalists will be able to play on a technically perfect pitch.

Moreover, thanks to this system, events such as pop concerts are possible on the pitch, which also contributes to the stadium’s sustainability.

Background info

- The Desso GrassMaster system is a 100 % natural grass pitch in which 20 million artificial grass fibres have been injected 20 cm deep into the soil by computer-controlled machines.

The roots of the natural grass intertwine with the synthetic grass fibres and anchor the turf into a stable and even pitch.

- 13 out of the 20 English Premier League clubs play or train on a Desso field. Eight of them play on a Desso GrassMaster field in their own stadium including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

- 7 clubs from the Dutch Eredivisie (Premier League) play on a Desso GrassMaster pitch in their stadium, including AZ Alkmaar, FC Utrecht and NAC.

- In the USA, NFL clubs such as Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers play on a Desso GrassMaster in their stadium

- Worldwide, more than 250 clubs play and train on a Desso GrassMaster system.

About Desso Sports Systems

Desso Sports Systems is European market leader in sports surfaces. The company annually produces over 3 million msquared of artificial grass for football, tennis, hockey, rugby and American Football pitches. The patented Desso GrassMaster system is internationally successful with professional and amateur football clubs.

Desso Sports Systems has its headquarters in Dendermonde (Belgium) and sales offices throughout Europe. The company is part of Desso, a top European manufacturer of contract carpets and carpet tiles for the office, aviation, hotel, marine, hospital, school, and consumer markets. Clients include ABN AMRO, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts and the 1000 Desso employees are responsible for an annual turnover of 200 million Euro.

http://www.dessosports.com

http://www.desso.com

Source: Desso Sports Systems

From 7 to 29 June, Austria, together with Switzerland, is presenting the European Football (Soccer) Championship. Important information is available to all fans under http://www.sozialversicherung.at/ecguide/ so that the consequences of possible injury or sickness remain as minor as possible. Standing behind this information is the Austrian social insurance system that is responsible for Austria’s health care system, recognized as among the best in the world.

Via the internet address http://www.sozialversicherung.at/ecguide/ fans can already inform themselves of important steps to take in case anything should happen:

    - Will I be treated during my stay in Austria?
    - What is my legal insurance status?
    - Which documents should I take with me as a precaution?
    - Whom can I contact in Austria immediately in an emergency?
    - First aid dictionary for the most important expressions

In addition, there is general information about EURO 2008 and the host regions in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt).

The guidebook is exceptionally easy to use and adapts personally to the user: Upon answering a few questions, it presents the visitor with information precisely tailored to his or her needs - and that in 34 European languages, from Icelandic to Greek, Russian to Montenegrin.

Austria’s Sozialversicherung, the Austrian social security system, is the foundation of social security in Austria. It is a legally established organization without commercial interests. With the introduction of the e-card for all Austrian insured persons, the Austrian social security system has earned a leading international role in the country-wide adoption and further development of e-health.

http://www.hauptverband.at

    For further questions, please contact:
    Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions
    (Hauptverband der österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger)
    1030 Wien, Kundmanngasse 21-23
    Press Office
    Email: presse@hvb.sozvers.at

Source: Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions